William Allen White Foundation

Founded to promote journalistic ideals

In 1944, the Kansas Board of Regents established the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. The following year, a group of William Allen White’s friends established the William Allen White Foundation in his honor. The founders envisioned the Foundation as a complement to the School of Journalism.

Original members were: Steerman R.A. Clymer, Dean W. Malott, Roy Bailey, Milton Tabor, Henry J. Allen, Will T. Beck, Fay N. Seaton, John Redmond, Ora G. Rindom, Henry Haskell, Roy Roberts, F.B. Ross, and W.C. Simons.

At the time of its inception, the foundation had three primary goals: to encourage better journalism in Kansas; to extend White’s principles into the future; and to strengthen freedom of speech, press and communication. To accomplish these goals, the foundation planned to sponsor lectures, awards and institutes.

Today the William Allen White Foundation continues to contribute to KU as well as promote White’s journalistic ideas.

Core Activities

• Honor William Allen White’s stature as a national figure in journalism history.
• Support journalism education at the University of Kansas.
• Recognize news enterprise annually in Kansas.
• Award an annual citation to an individual, team or organization whose work in journalism and impact on America exemplifies William Allen White’s highest ideals.

Officers

Scott Reinardy, Interim President

Eric Nelson, Chair

Michelle Keller, Vice Chair

Hannah Wise, Secretary

Katrina Yoakum, Treasurer

List of Trustees

Danforth Austin, Global Press Institute, Board of Directors; Voice of America, Director, retired, Scottsdale, AZ

Doug Barrington, Team Barrington/Realty Professionals, Topeka, KS

Robb Bertels, Gold Coast Packing Inc., Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Oxnard, CA

Murrel Bland, MCB Consulting Inc., President, Kansas City, KS

Ryan Blethen, The Seattle Times, Assistant Managing Editor, Seattle, WA

Brian Bracco, KSHB-TV, Vice President and General Manager, retired, Kansas City, MO

Emily Bradbury, Kansas Press Association, Executive Director, Topeka, KS

Kia Breaux, Associated Press, Midwest Regional Director, Iowa-Kansas-Missouri, Kansas City, MO

Ann M. Brill, WAW School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Associate Professor, Lawrence, KS

DeNeen Brown, The Washington Post, Staff Writer, Washington, D.C.

Sally Buzbee, Reuters, News Editor, New York, NY

Jenni Carlson, The Oklahoman, Sports Columnist, Oklahoma City, OK

Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today, Washington D.C. 

Kathleen Conkey, The Law Offices of Kathleen Conkey, Media Law Attorney, New York, NY

Lewis Diuguid, The Kansas City Star, retired, Kansas City, MO

Greg Farmer, The Kansas City Star, Executive Editor, Kansas City, MO

Gina Ford, Angela Alsobrooks for U. S. Senate, Director of Communications, Annapolis, MD

John Frazee, CBS News, Sr. Vice President, retired, New York, NY

Steve Frazier, Canadian Tire Corporation, Director, Mercer Island, WA

Phil Garcia, Sacramento State, VP for Public Affairs and Advocacy, retired, Sacramento, CA

Patricia Weems Gaston, Lacy C. Haynes Professor of Journalism, William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Lawrence, KS

Dave Giles, The E.W. Scripps Company, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Chief Ethics Officer, Cincinnati, OH

Mike Goff, Goff + Marketing and Principal at G4, Founder, Overland Park, KS

Vanessa Gordon, Mount Sinai Health System, Associate Director, Communications, New York, NY

Annie Gowen, The Washington Post, Midwest Correspondent, Lawrence, KS

Alison Gwinn, Self-Employed Writer and Editor, Denver, CO

Liz Hawks, Fleishman-Hillard, SVP and Partner, Global Influencer Lead, Kansas City, MO

Steve Haynes, Haynes Publishing, Nor'West Newspaper Inc., Publisher and CEO, retired, Oberlin, KS

Jonathan Kealing, Institute for Nonprofit News, Chief Network Officer, Minneapolis, MN

Michelle Keller, WAW School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Director of Professional Graduate Studies and Professor of the Practice, Lawrence, KS

Kris Kennedy, Reddit, Inc., Manager, Creative Strategy, Kansas City, MO

Sarah Kessinger, The Marysville Advocate, Owner and Publisher, Marysville, KS

Pat Lowry, Community Care Network of Kansas, Director of Communication and Governmental Relations, Topeka, KS

Susan Lynn, The Iola Register Inc., Editor and Publisher, Iola, KS

Ben Marshall, Marshall Publishing Inc., Editor & Publisher, retired, Sterling, KS

John T. Marshall, Thorne Media Group, LLC, Editor, retired, Lindsborg, KS

Cindy Maude, Callahan Creek, CEO Emeritus, Lawrence, KS

Colleen McCain Nelson, The Dallas Morning News, Executive Editor and Vice President, Dallas, TX

Mark McCormick, Deputy Executive Director of ACLU of Kansas, Mission, KS

Eric Meyer, Marion County Record, Editor & Publisher, Hoch Publishing, President, Marion, KS

Randall Mikulecky, Sullivan, Higdon & Sink Inc., Managing Partner, retired, Kansas City, MO

Grey Montgomery, Pro Farmer and Doane Advisory Services, CEO and President, Chicago, IL

Eric Nelson, McClatchy Media, Senior Director, Content Distribution & Platforms, News, Sacramento, CA

Paul Pierce II, Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of Colorado Boulder

Jay Pilgreen, McClatchy Media, Senior Architect of Product & Experience, Kansas City, MO

David Powls, The Holton Recorder, Editor and Publisher, Holton, KS

Janet Rose, Agency Director and Professor of the Practice, KU School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Lawrence, KS

Barbara Rosewicz, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Research Director, retired, Washington, D.C.

Tonda Rush, Six Ideas, LLC, Attorney, Falls Church, VA

Dena Sattler, Freelance Writer, Editor, and Consultant, Garden City, KS

David Allen Seaton, Winfield Publishing Company, President, Arkansas City, KS

Gerald Seib, The Wall Street Journal, Executive Washington Editor and Chief Commentator, retired, Washington, D.C.

Jay Senter, Johnson County Post, Publisher, Prairie Village, KS

Susanne Shaw, WAW School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Professor Emerita, Lawrence, KS

Dolph C. Simons Jr., The World Company, Chairman, Lawrence, KS

Tom Slaughter, Inland Press Association & Foundation, Executive Director, Des Plaines, IL

John H. Stauffer, Topeka Capital-Journal Editor, retired, Stauffer Communications Inc., Topeka, KS

Peter Stauffer, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Financial Advisor, Topeka, KS

Tim Stauffer, Managing Editor, The Iola Register, Iola, KS

Paul Stevens, Associated Press, retired, Editor, Lenexa, KS

John Suhler, Veronis Suhler Stevenson Partners, LLC, Founding General Partner & President, retired, New York, NY

Kelly Smith Tunney, Associated Press, VP for Central Region, retired, Chicago, IL

Michael J. Vrabac, Media and Communication Professional, Kansas City, MO

Chris Walker, The Emporia Gazette, Editor and Publisher, Emporia, KS

Vickie Walton-James, NPR News, Chief National Editor, Washington, D.C.

Nikki Wentling, Military Times, Senior Editor, Denver, CO

Hannah Wise, Kansas City Star, Assistant Managing Editor, Engagement & Experimentation, Kansas City, MO

Stephen Wolgast, WAW School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Knight Chair in Audience and Community Engagement for News and Professor of the Practice, Lawrence, KS

Katrina Yoakum, University of Kansas Comptroller's Office, Comptroller, Lawrence, KS